I was escorted back to the guild hall and led to a chair in the bar where Malik placed a delicious meal and a fruity drink in front of me. "Eat, lad, you will need your strength," he said. I eagerly dug in, savoring the root vegetables, the juicy steak, and the buttery bread. Isabel came and sat next to me while Lyra took a chair on my other side.

"That was cruel and unnecessary. I'm sorry you had to go through that, David," Isabel said with an apologetic expression.

I shrugged. "Don't sweat it, Isabel. I got through it. I won't lie, there were a few close calls, but parts of it were pretty fun. I skated through the maze using Harlequin to drag me - I mean, that was pretty epic!"

Lyra grinned and Isabel smiled a little. "You know they call Lyra and me crazy, right?" Isabel said.

I grinned. "Look, Isabel, in my old life, I mostly lived outside society and often outside the law. It wasn't a great life, hell, it was a pretty shitty life most of the time. I can't deny, however, that I enjoyed the thrill of escaping from authorities or sneaking into places I wasn't supposed to. I like the danger, as strange as that might sound."

Lyra clapped me on the back. "I knew you would fit right in!"

Isabel sipped her own drink and then said, "Be that as it may, I can't fathom what has gotten into the old man. He seems to have it out for you. He was not just bending the rules, David. He was outright breaking them. The difficulty of your test... it was far beyond what should be expected for an initiate."

Lyra nodded in agreement, but I just shrugged. "Pretty sure he's not done. That expression of his... He has something else up his sleeve."

Isabel looked worried. "The next part is a martial test, and the opponents you need to face are already stretching the boundary. What else can he do?"

I grinned. "Famous last words." For some reason, my comment made Isabel pale a bit, but she didn't comment.

After finishing my meal, the tall administrator walked over and called out to me, "Initiate Wendell, you must make your way to the arena. It is time for the second test." Lyra jumped to her feet and scowled at him, "He just finished his first test. Initiates are always given a recovery period!" The administrator remained unfazed, "The master has decided we will be moving along. The test will begin shortly, so get your armor in order and report to the arena, Wendell."

Isabel looked angry and was advancing on the administrator, but Malik appeared next to her to stop her. The tall man looked relieved, but then he seemed to regain his composure and said, "Keep her on a leash, barman!" Malik slowly turned to the man and with measured steps walked up to him. With a huge fist, he grabbed the man's collar and twisted it so hard that the man began to choke. "You better watch your tongue, worm. You know who I am... what I am. You will show respect not only to me, but to the adventurers of this guild, or so help me, I will tear your tongue out!" Malik's voice was calm but carried so much menace that I shuddered.

The big guy was usually all smiles and kindness, but it was as if I saw the beast within for the first time, and it was downright frightening. The administrator looked absolutely terrified, and all sound had stopped in the hall. Malik simply held him until the man nodded jerkily before he let go and the man fell in a heap, coughing for air. He looked like he wanted to say something, but Malik's cold, menacing stare completely silenced him, and instead, he rushed away.

Isabel was grinning fiercely, and Lyra had a look of childish fascination on her face. For my part, I slowly stood and walked over to Malik. "Well, that was quite intimidating! Oh, by the way, could I have the recipe for that fruit drink?" Malik raised an eyebrow in surprise, but then he burst out laughing, "No, you cannot, lad. That is my secret recipe!" I grinned, "You seem to have a lot of those." Malik clapped me on the shoulder, "I am an artist, young Wendell, and an artist keeps his secrets close."

I shrugged and said in a grumpy voice, "Fine, you keep your secrets..." The tension seemed to leave the room, and people started moving again. Isabel walked over and grabbed my wrist gently, "We need to get you suited up. It would seem you were right about the guildmaster." I nodded, and she led me through a door on the other end of the hall from the one leading to the maze.

Lyra and Malik sat on a row of benches surrounding the arena, which was shaped like an amphitheatre with elevated seats. They had a clear view of the action, and Lyra was nervous but confident in David's abilities. He had grown explosively since she had met him, and she was unsure if he knew it himself. Malik was looking down at David in the arena, all decked out in his armor and robe, and holding his staff casually at his side.

"I saw his turn in the maze, but how is he in an actual fight?" Malik asked Lyra, and she considered how to answer for a few seconds. "I am honestly a little unsure.. Since I met him he has grown at a rapid pace. Each fight he seems to get more competent, and frankly he can be a little terrifying when he gets going."

"Terrifying?" Malik asked with a frown.

Lyra grinned, "You will see. He is very unconventional to say the least, and the spirit he bonded.. It is, shall we say, interesting."

Malik smiled, "Looking forward to it then."

The two of them went back to watching David, and soon the guildmaster stood up on a raised podium overlooking the arena. "Quiet please!" he said in a voice that was magically enhanced, and slowly the gathered adventurers that had come to watch became silent.

The guildmaster continued his speech, "We are gathered to witness initiate Wendell's martial test. He will be fighting a total of three members of the guild, carefully chosen for the task. Each opponent has a different approach, with the purpose of testing the initiate's versatility and ability to adapt. In a normal initiation, the initiate will fight each opponent individually, but this time it will be a little different."

Malik's gaze sharpened and focused on the guildmaster, "He wouldn't!"

David had guessed something else was coming, and here it was. Lyra's heart began to sink as the guildmaster continued, "This time the initiate will fight all three opponents at once!"

The arena erupted in outrage, and the general consensus was that the test wasn't fair. Lyra glanced down at David in worry, but the bloody man was grinning! "He has gone too far this time," Malik said with a heavy sigh.

Lyra nodded absentmindedly, and the guildmaster continued, "The three opponents are as follows, Landvin also known as Swiftblade, Cauld also known as Thornstrike, and Mirum also known as Stormweaver. Initiate Wendell must defeat all three to complete the trial."

Another louder wave of outrage roared through the crowd, but the guildmaster didn't seem to care in the least. Lyra glanced at Malik, and the man looked furious. There was nothing they could do though, the guildmaster had the final word in the Creston branch, and his words were law. At least until someone from the main branch heard of this. Lyra couldn't imagine it would be well received.

She sighed. David wouldn't be able to win this fight. All three of his opponents were experienced, and they had all taken their core to the nurturing stage. There was simply no way. At least the arena was enchanted, so David wouldn't get permanently damaged or killed. She knew David would do what he could, so she settled in to at least watch her friend give it a go.

The guildmaster rang the bell, and the fight between Cauld and David began. Cauld charged at David with his daggers bared, while David summoned his mask and images, getting into a defensive posture. He then held out his hand, and a ball of fire streaked at Cauld, who managed to dodge but ran straight into a large, somewhat translucent rock that appeared next to him. He smacked into it with an audible grunt.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

David's images immediately assaulted Cauld, and although he fended them off fairly easily, a bolt of lightning from the other side of the arena came at him, jumping from one image to the next. Mirum had joined the fight. Cauld looked angry and charged at David again, and soon David was weaving between the man’s attacks.

Surprisingly, David was holding his own and even managed to position himself so that Cauld was between him and Mirum, while Landvin still hadn't acted. Cauld launched a furious attack on David who seemed unable to keep up, cuts opened up on arms and legs. David seemed to realize his predicament and suddenly jumped backward, he flicked his hand in what Lyra knew was the gesture for his slippery footing spell, causing Cauld to slip with one foot and lose his balance.

David took advantage of the opening, swinging his staff at Cauld, who put up both daggers in a block. However, to Lyra's surprise, the staff went right through them—it was an illusion! David was inside Cauld's guard and threw three sharp punches into Cauld's head: temple, chin, temple. Cauld looked stunned and stopped moving. Harlequin’s laughter echoed through the arena, and a huge illusion manifested.

From the outside, the illusions were translucent, and the barrier of the arena protected the audience from stray attacks while allowing them to see through them. But to David's opponents, they were in the middle of a dense forest now, and Mirum and Landvin looked confused.

David wasted no time, pulling his disassembled staff from within his robe. With a gesture, the images reappeared and together with David, they pummeled Cauld from all sides until the man was down and no longer moving. The crowd erupted in cheers, and Lyra was cheering along with them, but Malik was strangely quiet, staring at David intensely with a small grin on his face.

After dropping Cauld, the images spread through the illusionary forest, and David walked right through the center. Mirum and Landvin spotted him, and Mirum looked incensed. She began gathering ether for an attack, but David raised his hand and launched another illusionary fireball at her.

"Ha! Is that all you got?" David taunted.

Landvin reacted instantly, putting himself in front of Mirum. He slashed his rapier at the attack intending to block it, but the fireball simply vanished as he did. Landvin growled something and Mirum’s face reddened in outrage.

"Enough games," Mirum said, as she summoned a thick beam of condensed lightning aimed directly at David.

Lyra bit her lip, but David still had his hand raised. A foot from him, the lightning hit a barrier, and while it couldn't completely block the attack, a good portion of it was sent directly back at Mirum.

David shook as lightning coursed through his body, but he didn't scream. Only Harlequin's crazy laughter could be heard, along with Mirum's surprised shout. Landvin again stepped in front of her, but even he couldn't stop the attack fully, and he took the brunt of it. He seemed unable to move for the moment, and David recovered first.

He conjured a melon-sized rock and sent it hurtling at Mirum, but she only sneered and ignored the attack. In that moment, three copies of David erupted from the shadows of the forest and grabbed her from all sides. She looked shocked and angry, thrashing with superior strength. Two illusions were tossed off her, but the rock that was no simple illusion impacted her face with a spray of blood.

Lyra winced. The arena protected the contenders from permanent harm and death, true, but not serious injuries. Mirum fell to her knees, and three images were upon her instantly. All the while, Harlequin's creepy laughter echoed through the arena.

This time, no one cheered. People seemed a little shocked at what was going on, and Lyra couldn't blame them. She was pretty dumbfounded herself. Malik, on the other hand, was chuckling merrily.

"Where did you find this guy, Lyra? I can't for a second believe he is just some nobody you picked up in the mountains," Malik said.

"I didn't lie, Malik. I really did just stumble upon him in the mountains," Lyra replied.

He glanced over at her. "What is his story?"

Lyra shrugged. "Not my tale to tell, Malik. Ask him yourself. He might tell you."

He smiled and focused back on the arena. "I might just do that. No matter the outcome of this, and no matter what plans the guildmaster has, young Wendell must join the guild. His potential is quite frankly staggering."

Lyra nodded, and she too returned her attention to her friend.

--

I was surprised at how well my plan had gone. I used illusions to deceive my opponents into thinking I had no ranged abilities, and it worked. Two of them were down, and I had taken only a few hits from Cauld's daggers. Landvin was standing up now, looking pretty angry. I focused my attention on him and decided to taunt him a little. In Harlequin's voice, I said, "Hope she wasn't tonight's date, Landvin. I might have bruised her face a bit." Landvin glanced at Mirum, who was unconscious and bleeding, then at the three images surrounding him.

"You will pay for this. I will not allow some cur to insult us like this," Landvin said.

I chuckled and replied with Harlequin's voice distorting my own, "Pretty sure that's too late, guy. The fine people watching are already realizing how weak you are. I mean, there were three of you, but there's four of me, so maybe it was a little unfair to you."

Landvin scowled and attacked the images with lightning speed. They were quickly dispatched, and he turned to me, saying, "Only one now. Come vagabond, let's have a bit of fun." Landvin charged at me, and I grabbed my staff in a defensive pose. He was lightning quick and obviously the strongest of the trio. He stabbed at me, and I barely avoided being skewered. I began to retreat slowly, but Landvin did not let up. Suddenly, with a sweep of his sword and an angry groan, a crescent of energy erupted from a swing and slammed into me. The strike cut into my chest armor, leaving a long cut diagonally on my torso. Blood began flowing immediately, and I gasped at the pain.

Landvin gave me a vicious grin and restarted his assault. Each strike was followed by an energy attack, and I had to make sure to get out of the way of each one. The problem was his speed, and I had no way of completely avoiding damage, so I focused on taking as little as I could. I deflected attacks left and right, and took cuts to my arms and shoulders, not deep but painful. I was losing blood faster and faster, feeling myself growing more sluggish. I knew I had to turn the momentum somehow. I checked my ether stores, which were still sitting comfortably around the halfway point, and I jumped back. I immediately conjured a dome of rock around me, solidifying it with my title ability, and began counting the seconds.

Landvin was sending strike after strike into the dome, and I could feel it starting to crack. "Just a moment longer... there!" I opened a small gap and blinked. Landvin would be unaware of my escape, hopefully, and I landed 20 meters away, well into my illusionary forest on silent feet. I crouched and sat still, then began conjuring illusions of myself all around the arena. Landvin froze as versions of me appeared everywhere. I conjured my images and sent them into the arena as well. Moments later, Harlequin's laughter began coming from one direction, then the next. He kept jumping from one image to the next, and Landvin spun in place. He looked angry but also a little scared. I checked my ether stores again, approximately 25%. I would have to end this with the next strike.

--

Landvin spun frantically as the creepy laughter echoed around him from different directions. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't seem to locate his opponent. He had to admit, albeit reluctantly, that the cur was pretty good. He had lost sight of him for only moments, but once the stone dome was broken down, he was gone. He swung his blade at another shadow, then another, hitting nothing but air. "Shit! Where is the bastard!?" he muttered in frustration.

Suddenly, the voice whispered to him from the shadows of the illusionary forest. "Illusions within illusions, what is real and what is not? Within illusion hides truth, but truth itself might be an illusion, will you find your way out?" the voice cackled, sending a chill down Landvin's spine. The forest shook, and the laughter grew to a fever pitch. Then, the arena erupted in noise, and a wave of small spiky rocks smashed into him. He was so shocked that he didn't have time to react, and his body was torn to ribbons. The enchantments on the arena kept him from being completely destroyed, but the damage overwhelmed him, and he screamed in pain.

Finally, the rocks stopped falling, and Landvin lay on the ground, gasping for breath. His body was battered and bruised, and his vision was blurred. He tried to stand up, but his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground again. "You win," he said, his voice barely audible. "I yield, you bastard."

--

I watched as Landvin was thrown off his feet, and despite the intense headache, I couldn't help but grin. I nearly blacked out from the pain in my head. I didn’t see what happened next, but Landvin’s scream was pretty telling. The arena was filled with the storm of noise as the rocks propelled forward, and soon after impacted with the far wall. Then there was only silence, except for Harlequin’s crazy giggles that just kept going and going. His laughter was that of someone completely off their rocker, and despite the pain, I couldn't help but be happy for my friend who was having a good time. Darkness took me soon after, and the last thought in my mind was, ‘’take that you cheating old bastard!’’